This invention relates to electronic learning aids and teaching machines. More particularly, this invention relates to electronic learning aids having applications in the area of response association training.
Electronic learning aids are known in the prior art. In particular, those areas which are readily adaptable to electronic display, such as the mathematical skills, are common. Examples include the Dataman.TM. and Little Professor.TM. devices manufactured by Texas Instruments Incorporated, of Dallas, Tex. Devices which teach response association, spelling or other lanugage skills with an associated pictorial display, have, in the past, been relegated to those applications wherein the bulk of the required visual display would preclude the possibility of a hand-held device. Examples include U.S. Pat. No. 3,832,790 wherein an associated slide projector is utilized to provide visual stimulation, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,894,346 wherein an electronic pictorial display and a tape reader are utilized to prompt the user. It should be evident, however, that teaching machines which utilize video displays or audio prompters will be bulky, heavy and fairly expensive to manufacture.
It is, therefore, one object of this invention that the learning aid be portable and inexpensive to construct.
It is another object of this invention that the learning aid provide positive reinforcement for the operator thereof.
It was yet another object of this invention that the learning aid pose random questions to the operator thereof.
It was still another object of this invention that the learning aid receive an answer to a posed question and inform the operator whether or not the inputted answer is correct.
The foregoing objects are achieved as is now described. The device contains a non-volatile memory, within which are stored the numbers associated with a numbered group of associated pictorial displays. The correct responses to the objects portrayed in the associated pictorial displays are also stored in the non-volatile memory. A particular pictorial display number is randomly selected by the device and the operator enters a proposed response via a keyboard. The entered response is compared with the stored correct response, and the operator is apprised of the results of this comparison. Scoring results and reward phrases are utilized during the operation of the device to provide positive reinforcement to the operator.
In the embodiment disclosed, the learning aid is preferably equipped with modes of operation which relate to teaching spelling and literary skills. These modes are described in detail herein.